[Photography] My Favourite Place To Shoot

A few weeks ago I heard about Light, a new camera technology company.  They have recently developed a SmartPhone-sized camera which claims to give you “DSLR quality in the palm of your hand”.  It was the first time I’d heard of such a thing, and I was intrigued.  I absolutely love my Nikon D300S, but it’s difficult to bring with me everywhere I go, for practical and safety reasons.  My iPod, on the other hand, fits in my pocket, so I find myself shooting with it much more frequently.  I would absolutely LOVE to try out this new camera to see how it compares.  

Light asked me to be a part of their #VantagePoint project in which bloggers talk about their favourite place to shoot and share a photo from the location.  It was hard to pick one place, especially given all of the beauty that surrounds me here in Florianópolis, Brazil.  I love the beaches, the forests, and the Portuguese architecture.  But my favourite place to shoot right now is actually at home, in my own garage.

Photo taken by Garett from As We Go

During the past year, I’ve studied the light that comes into this covered space and have realised it makes an ideal situation for portraits.  Except at sunset, the light is always indirect, making it comfortable for subjects to look into.  If the subject is looking outwards into the yard, their entire face is evenly lit.  I’ve taken great posed portraits as well as cute candid shots of the kids.  I couldn’t pick just one photo, so here’s four of my favourites.

My son, Shasta, looking extremely hip: 1/500s, f2.8, ISO 200

My younger son, Sebastian: 1/125s, f 1.4, ISO 200

For each of these photos I used my Nikon D300S camera with a Nikkor 50mm/1.4 lens.

I chose my garage over the beach as my favourite place to shoot because I’m so familiar with it.  I know that if it’s cloudy, sunny, or raining, I can still get a well-lit shot.  I love the colours of my garage and it’s a place where people feel comfortable, so it’s easy to capture them naturally.  I love doing clean, simple portraits, so having a place with predictable lighting is a wonderful thing.  It’s almost like a studio.

At sunset, the light is a bit harsh, but still lovely for candid shots like this one of me and friends Adriano and Pedro on my 31st birthday this past June.

Suggestions for budding photographers: In portrait photography, if not all photography, lighting is always the most important thing!  Spend some time observing the light around you – in and around your house, in your neighbourhood, etc.  See how it changes during the day.  Study your subjects.  Are faces fully lit, or are there shadows?  Is the light too bright/harsh?  My go-to conditions/locations for good lighting are in the shade, by a window, golden hour(at sunrise/sunset), or an overcast day.

Thoughts or questions?  Shoot me a message and I’ll be happy to help.

Find out more about Light.co and their exciting new technology on their website, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

If you liked this post, check out my Photography page for more tips and tutorials.